Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Highly recommended

Publisher
Manga
Director
Kenji Kamiyama
Production
Bandai, Dentsu, Production IG, Victor Entertainment
Country of origin
Japan
Format
Series
Running time
26 episodes
Year
2002

Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex Volume 6

By otaku_kei
17th Dec 05

The penultimate volume of Stand Alone Complex picks up straight from the shocking cliffhanger of the last episode. Togusa lies in a hospital bed after having been shot by a government black ops unit, whilst continuing digging into the investigation around the Laughing Man case. Yes I am well aware that Section 9 believed that they has successfully closed the case, but really did any of you truly believe the main story arc was going to finish with such a premature whimper? So with the Laughing Man back on the scene, and Section 9 caught up in high-level government corruption and conspiracies we finally get a return to the ‘complex’ episodes of this series.

Episode 21: Eraser

With Togusa recovering in a hospital from the attack on the Sunshine Organisations office the other members of Section 9 rush to pick up the investigation that has left Togusa incapacitated. But for time running out for a key witness into the Murai vaccine cover-up Section 9 need to move fast before the clandestine hit squad finish tying up all the loose ends that could blow this case wide open.

Holy crap! After the shocking conclusion to the last volume I thought maybe this show would take a breather and slow the plot down just a little, but GITS: SAC does no such thing and just hurtles along. Batou is driven wild by the emotional impact of brain diving into Togusa’s injured mind, and the Major sidelines him for his reaction. And yet it turns out that Kusanagi is the real loose cannon in this episode as she hands out a horrific beating to the head of the black ops team. But all this doesn’t help when the vital witness needed for this investigation still ends up with a bullet in his brain. Great action throughout this episode, and it really sets the tone for the rest of the series.

Episode 22: Scandal

The Narcotics Retrieval Unit have been neutralised, but three rogue agents are still unaccounted for. With the Major out of action after the damage she received in the last battle it falls to Batou to try to trace these black ops agents. But Section 9 are bereft of their political leadership when Aramaki gets drawn into an investigation into his long lost brother. But the smoke and mirrors that these espionage agents live their lives by are going to create a whole host of headaches for Section 9 as nothing is as it seems with political scheming and plots all set to cover up the truth about the Laughing Man. And out of all of this comes a most unlikely alliance.

The more layers that get peeled away from the Laughing Man case the more treachery and corruption that is exposed! With more and more high-level government officials being implicated in Section 9’s investigation, the unit’s enemies are soon to make further moves against the Major and her comrades. But with all this antagonism the new alliance is forged. This alliance is very similar to the ‘marriage’ that the Major has with the Puppet Master in the first Ghost In The Shell movie, but without the lasting implications of that event. Always nice to see the source material for this show referenced, be it the manga or anime forerunners.

Episode 23: Equinox

The Laughing Man has not given up his self-imposed duty to expose the government corruption that buried the evidence of the benefits to the Murai vaccine. In his continuing efforts to expose the collaboration between the highest echelons of government and the micromachine industrialists, the Laughing Man re-creates his most famous crime when he kidnaps the head of Serrano Genomics Inc. Section 9 are left trying to track down this elusive criminal if they are to have any hope of uncovering this conspiracy and finally closing this case.

What a great episode to take us into the conclusion of the show! It finally looks as if all the facts surrounding the original Laughing Man crimes have been aired. But just how can Section 9 use this information to take down the real criminals? And with that knowledge comes new danger as Section 9’s enemies are not about to just stand aside and let themselves be destroyed. With only three episodes left it looks as if everything is set to explode!

These three episodes are a very welcome return for the ‘complex’ episodes of this series, with action and thrills throughout. Not pulling any punches these episodes set up what can only be a shocking conclusion to a series that has raised the bar of achievement for intelligent anime shows. Section 9 are still on the case, and about to blow the whistle on high ranking government corruption, but the political scheming behind the scenes never stops and its going to be hard for Section 9 to come out of this unscathed. I cannot recommend this show enough with every aspect of the production being polished and clearly the work of an enthusiastic and resourceful creative team. Production I.G. are making great use of one of the biggest brands in anime name recognition, and are delivering one of the most impressive shows on the market at the moment.

R2 DVD Notes

Features: Disc 1:English 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound; Japanese 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound; English Stereo 2.0; Japanese Stereo 2.0; English subtitles; interviews with Junichi Fujisaki, Yoshiki Sakurai and Noauyasu Terato (screenwriters); interviews with Jai Sato, Shotaro Suga (screenwriters); character profiles; Ghost In The Shell video game trailer Disc 2:English DTS audio; Japanese DTS audio; English Stereo 2.0; English subtitles; quiz; In Conversation With Richard Epcar

Release information: OUT NOW

Notes: Well for possibly the highest profile release in the UK at the moment we get a great quality disc. You will read on a lot of sights about the quality issues with this series which have been worth commenting on (Volume 4's audio in particular). But this volume is flawless as far as I can tell. Perhaps if you have a home cinema system that highlights every little flaw then you'll notice things I didnt but stop being so anally retarded! A whole host of extras as well to keep you entertained. Only listened to the interviews as the trailers are the same as those appearing on previous volumes.

-- otaku_kei 17th Dec 05

Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Images